Mantshonga

Mantshonga was a Zulu nobleman during the 19th century. He was regarded as a traitor by Chief Cetshwayo due to his support for a rival claimant to the chiefdom, and he was forced to flee to British Natal to avoid execution. In January 1879, he delivered High Commissioner Henry Bartle Frere's ultimatum to Cetshwayo, accusing him of killing his subjects without trial and demanding that he disband his war impis. Cetshwayo told Mantshonga to inform the British that he would not cross the Buffalo River border, and told him to ask Lord Chelmsford if he would disband his own army if he was in the same situation as the Zulu. Mantshonga warned Cetshwayo that the British would send 30,000 troops against him, and he then left to inform Bartle Frere of Cetshwayo's response, leading to the start of the Anglo-Zulu War.